The synthesis of the two novel diphosphine compounds 1,2-bis(3-(diphenylphosphino)-4-methoxyphenyl)benzene (
1; Terphos), and 1,2-bis(2-diphenylphosphino)benzene (
2), bothderived from a terphenyl backbone structure, are described. Straightforward synthetic routeshave been employed to obtain these ligands in good yields from cheap starting materials.The coordination of ligands
1 and
2 with PtCl
2(cod) has been studied by NMR spectroscopy,and the X-ray crystal structures of the resulting complexes
4 and
5 were determined. The
31P NMR spectra of the mononuclear products demonstrate solely cis coordination for bothbidentate ligands, with corresponding coupling constants
JPt-P of 3810 Hz (
cis-[PtCl
2(
1)],complex
4) and 3712 Hz (
cis-[PtCl
2(
2)],
5). The bite angles P
1-Pt-P
2 were 98.74 and 105.89
,respectively, in the distorted square-planar complexes. The new diphosphines have beenapplied in the platinum/tin-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1-octene, and both ligands giveactive and selective platinum catalysts.